“We raised the issue of both the budget and the Civil Union”
“On November 20, at the coalition meeting, we raised the issue of both the budget and the Civil Union, the partners promised to look for more votes. Today, after two weeks, they are back. And I can state that for the coalition parties, the Homeland Union and the Liberal Movement, the votes they gathered are not enough for the adoption of the law. This is an important message and here, apparently, it is necessary to record it,” said Aušrinė Armonaitė, chairwoman of the Freedom Party, to journalists after the meeting of the ruling coalition council on Monday.
November 21 Speaker of the Seimas Viktorija Čmilytė-Nielsen said that the attempt to link the adoption of the budget and the civil union is unacceptable “on either side”.
“For me, the merging of the budget and the civil union is unacceptable from either side – neither from the positive nor from the negative side.” These are two different, very important issues, but they are not related to each other,” V. Čmilytė-Nielsen told reporters in the Seimas on Tuesday.
Agnė Širinskienė, the elder of the Mixed group of Seimas members, then announced that the group would approve the next year’s state budget, but on the condition that those in power in the parliament would reject the Civil Union Law, legalizing a gender-neutral partnership.
Attempts by the Freedom Party to link support for the Civil Union Law and the adoption of the budget were not announced at the time.
A. Armonaitė then claimed that she had received a promise from the governing conservatives and the Liberal Movement to seek additional votes in the Seimas in order to pass the Civil Union Law, legalizing a gender-neutral partnership.
He still sees a reserve to gather votes
According to A. Armonaitė, the Laisvė faction still sees a reserve in gathering votes on this issue in the coalition, because “we cannot go to the opposition and beg with outstretched hand”.
“Clause 5.2 of the coalition agreement, that coalition partners will make maximum efforts, remains unfulfilled. The Freedom Party will evaluate its obligations and so on,” said A. Armonaitė.
When asked if this means that the project will not be submitted to the Seimas on Tuesday, she repeated that “The Motherland Union and the Liberal Movement did not gather enough support.”
A. Armonaitė did not rule out that the project will return to the agenda of the Seimas “at any moment when we see that its decision and acceptance is possible, so that it is positive”.
The project will not be announced yet
Later on Facebook, the leader of the Freedom Party said that judging by the numbers presented by the Patriotic Union-Lithuanian Christian Democrats and the Liberal Movement on Tuesday, together with the 10 “libertarians”, 66-67 parliamentarians could vote for the Civil Union project in the Seimas, so, according to her, for now the issue will not be put on the agenda.
“Even with the support of some members of the opposition until now, this is insufficient support for the adoption of the law (…) In order not to destroy the work that has already been done – after all, there is ONLY ONE VOTE left and JUST A FEW votes are missing, also taking into account the position of human rights experts , seeing the obvious insufficient political will to adopt progressive Western decisions in the field of human rights, we do not bring the civil union project to the adoption stage and do not include it in the agenda of the Seimas”, she wrote.
According to the sources, before this meeting, it was considered that the project might be included in the agenda of the Seimas on Tuesday.
In the spring, the Seimas approved the draft law on civil unions, which would legalize same-sex partnerships, with a minimal majority of votes. Some conservatives and liberals did not support the project.
Currently, partnerships are not legalized in Lithuania, neither for a man and a woman, nor for same-sex couples. Previous attempts to do so in parliament were unsuccessful.
The draft law on civil union provides that the partners who have entered into it will create joint partial ownership, but will have the opportunity to establish a different legal regime of the property in a separate agreement, inherit according to the law and not pay inheritance taxes, have the opportunity to act in each other’s name and interests, represent each other in the field of health care , could receive health-related information.
Recently, there have been disagreements in the governing coalition regarding tax reform, the dissatisfaction of “free people” was caused by the rejected amendments to the law on the protection of minors, and insufficient support for the legalization of partnerships.
He promises an answer on the budget on Tuesday
As the Seimas prepares to adopt the State budget on Tuesday, A. Armonaitė repeated that the Freedom faction promises to make the final decision on whether to support it on Tuesday morning.
“Tomorrow we will talk about the budget – there will be a group meeting. When those proposals about roads, about circles (we will evaluate – BNS), said A. Armonaitė. “There are things that are worth supporting, the decision will be made tomorrow.”
In turn, the leader of the faction in the Seimas, Vytautas Mitalas, reiterated that the faction positively evaluates the Government’s latest changes after the first reading of the budget, which took into account the proposals of the “free people”.
“The financing of the Vilnius-Utena road has been taken into account, the increase in the non-formal education budget for clubs has been taken into account. Now some small improvements have been made this morning in the Government. Tomorrow we will have a final discussion in the parliamentary group and before the meeting we will inform you how we will vote for him”, said V. Mitala.
In November, the Government approved the additional allocation of 40 million for the reconstruction of the Vilnius-Utena road. euros – this amount of funds is expected to be received from the increased road toll for heavy vehicles, the so-called vignettes. Another 117 million additional support of the European Union is expected to be allocated by taking funds from subsequent years in this EU financial perspective.
According to Finance Minister Gintarė Skaistė, a total of 872 million is expected for roads in 2024. euros.
Also 3.5 million EUR was additionally added to education, the majority of which is 3 million. EUR – will be for non-formal education of children, 0.5 million. EUR – to modernize the infrastructure of educational institutions in Southeastern Lithuania.
The estimated budget deficit reaches the limit of the Maastricht criterion – 3 percent. gross domestic product.
V. Čmilytė-Nielsen did not see any threats
Speaker of the Seimas Viktorija Čmilytė-Nielsen said on Monday that she does not see any signs that some parliamentarians from the ruling coalition would not vote for the 2024 budget project.
“There are no signs that someone from the coalition should not vote for the budget,” V. Čmilytė-Nielsen told reporters on Monday in the Seimas after the meeting of the elders of the factions of the ruling coalition.
Teodoros Biliūnas/BNS photo/Viktorija Čmilytė-Nielsen
“I would not dwell too much on this version (that the budget may not be approved – BNS), because I hope it will be approved tomorrow,” she added.
According to V. Čmilytė-Nielsen, one member of the Seimas belonging to the ruling coalition is on a business trip.
The Speaker of the Seimas stated that she did not speak with the opposition regarding support during the budget vote.
“Help is not requested. I did not consult personally,” the chairwoman asserted.
“The budget is qualitatively prepared, attention is paid to the most important areas. (…) Even despite the fact that we are going into an election year, I hope that there will be a positive attitude from the opposition. I also invite members of the opposition to support this budget,” she added.
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2024-07-31 00:40:03
